Did you move from a dense, urban part of DC to a quieter part?

[Anonymous]

Our family lives on the Hill. We love just about everything about it: the community, the walkability, the energy, Halloween. But both our kids are now in a charter school in NW (but east of Rock Creek Park). They'll be there until they finish high school, so we have at least 10 years of doing that commute. We are starting to consider moving to a neighborhood somewhere up there, both for proximity and for a little more space. And maybe for a little more quiet, although we are undecided on whether that's something we really want. (FWIW, our kids would rather stay where we are. I am also leaning toward staying, but I feel like moving is something I think we should at least consider.)

If you've made such a move, can you share a bit of your experience? If you were used to walking everywhere--Metro, grocery store, restaurants--did you miss it? What about the sense of community you get from a densely packed neighborhood? Favorite/least favorite parts of the new neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

My wife and I did a gradual slide into suburban-style DC. We started out in Columbia Heights, moved to Glover Park, then to the Palisades, and last year moved to Deanwood.

I definitely miss being able to walk to restaurants, but finally being able to break the chain of 1BR apartments/condos and move up to a house was totally worth it.

We went from going out 3-4 times a week to maybe once or twice, mostly because of the (in)convenience factor of having to take an Uber or the Metro to be able to go to a sit-down restaurant, but that's really the only thing that got significantly less convenient. I do have to drive to the supermarket now, but the 1 mile drive takes about the same amount of time as the quarter mile walk to the Giant when we were in Columbia Heights, plus we can stock up more and make less trips in total because we're not limited to what we can carry in a small rolling cart. Having a car is so much easier here too, there's plenty of on street parking (hell, I even have a frickin driveway!) and getting to places outside of the city is a short hop on 295 instead of an awful slog through the whole damn city.

Also, having more space means spending a lot more time taking care of it, so a not insignificant amount of time we used to spend going out is now spent doing yard work and home maintenance, which honestly is probably better for our wallets and waistlines anyway.

In terms of community, Deanwood actually has the greatest sense of community of anywhere I've ever lived. From the moment we moved in we started being invited to neighbor's houses, whether it was for a BBQ or to watch a game, or just to hang out on someone's porch on a Friday night. When we went on vacation we got an unsolicited call from one of our neighbors who wanted to let us know he saw an unfamiliar person going into our house (it was the cat sitter) and wanted to make sure everything was OK. I know probably 50% or more of the people on my block by name and a good portion of the surrounding blocks as well. I don't think I knew any of my neighbors in Columbia Heights or Glover Park, and only a handful in the Palisades, and any that I did were certainly not because they reached out to me.

I love the peace and quiet (most of the year at least. July is like Chinese New Year at night) as well as the general greenness and the huge parks nearby (real parks too, with woods and trails, not just squares of grass!)

I'm definitely very happy with my move, but of course everyone's situation is different. You'd definitely want to take your daily commute into account, and your personal lifestyle as well. If you're the kind of person who never cooks at home or just has to be out at a bar several times a week, a move to somewhere like Brightwood is going to be way more inconvenient than to someone like me who is perfectly happy staying home most nights.

[Anonymous]

We moved from Columbia Heights to North Brightwood. Love it. We're close (walkable) to a lot of things that matter to us, we use bus transit more than subway now, and we have a big house, a big yard and a friendly neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved from Columbia Heights to North Brightwood. Love it. We're close (walkable) to a lot of things that matter to us, we use bus transit more than subway now, and we have a big house, a big yard and a friendly neighborhood.

Wanted to add: we still walk to the grocery store, CVS, restaurants, and bus stop (our equivalent of Metro). There are fewer bars and restaurants but we're kind of aging out of that scene anyway. We're very close with our next door neighbors (throw joint parties, even) and friendly with plenty of other neighbors. There's a park and rec center less than a block from our house, and trails into RCP about 3 blocks in the other direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My wife and I did a gradual slide into suburban-style DC. We started out in Columbia Heights, moved to Glover Park, then to the Palisades, and last year moved to Deanwood.

I definitely miss being able to walk to restaurants, but finally being able to break the chain of 1BR apartments/condos and move up to a house was totally worth it.

We went from going out 3-4 times a week to maybe once or twice, mostly because of the (in)convenience factor of having to take an Uber or the Metro to be able to go to a sit-down restaurant, but that's really the only thing that got significantly less convenient. I do have to drive to the supermarket now, but the 1 mile drive takes about the same amount of time as the quarter mile walk to the Giant when we were in Columbia Heights, plus we can stock up more and make less trips in total because we're not limited to what we can carry in a small rolling cart. Having a car is so much easier here too, there's plenty of on street parking (hell, I even have a frickin driveway!) and getting to places outside of the city is a short hop on 295 instead of an awful slog through the whole damn city.

Also, having more space means spending a lot more time taking care of it, so a not insignificant amount of time we used to spend going out is now spent doing yard work and home maintenance, which honestly is probably better for our wallets and waistlines anyway.

In terms of community, Deanwood actually has the greatest sense of community of anywhere I've ever lived. From the moment we moved in we started being invited to neighbor's houses, whether it was for a BBQ or to watch a game, or just to hang out on someone's porch on a Friday night. When we went on vacation we got an unsolicited call from one of our neighbors who wanted to let us know he saw an unfamiliar person going into our house (it was the cat sitter) and wanted to make sure everything was OK. I know probably 50% or more of the people on my block by name and a good portion of the surrounding blocks as well. I don't think I knew any of my neighbors in Columbia Heights or Glover Park, and only a handful in the Palisades, and any that I did were certainly not because they reached out to me.

I love the peace and quiet (most of the year at least. July is like Chinese New Year at night) as well as the general greenness and the huge parks nearby (real parks too, with woods and trails, not just squares of grass!)

I'm definitely very happy with my move, but of course everyone's situation is different. You'd definitely want to take your daily commute into account, and your personal lifestyle as well. If you're the kind of person who never cooks at home or just has to be out at a bar several times a week, a move to somewhere like Brightwood is going to be way more inconvenient than to someone like me who is perfectly happy staying home most nights.

Thanks. Brightwood is one of the places we're considering. We actually almost never go out to eat--less than once a month--so it does seem weird to pay for the convenience of nearby restaurants. But I LOVE walking everywhere else, including twice a week to the WF down the street. And we do have a great, close community like the one it sounds like you have in Deanwood. Plus we have three (small) bedrooms, and a whole house to ourselves, which is plenty. So none of these things are really pressing. I would sort of like to have more room to entertain, bigger bedrooms for my tall kids, a larger garden. We are just weighing priorities at this point. And affordability is a major concern for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved from Columbia Heights to North Brightwood. Love it. We're close (walkable) to a lot of things that matter to us, we use bus transit more than subway now, and we have a big house, a big yard and a friendly neighborhood.

Wanted to add: we still walk to the grocery store, CVS, restaurants, and bus stop (our equivalent of Metro). There are fewer bars and restaurants but we're kind of aging out of that scene anyway. We're very close with our next door neighbors (throw joint parties, even) and friendly with plenty of other neighbors. There's a park and rec center less than a block from our house, and trails into RCP about 3 blocks in the other direction.

Thanks, this is helpful. That's the part of the city we're looking at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our family lives on the Hill. We love just about everything about it: the community, the walkability, the energy, Halloween. But both our kids are now in a charter school in NW (but east of Rock Creek Park). They'll be there until they finish high school, so we have at least 10 years of doing that commute. We are starting to consider moving to a neighborhood somewhere up there, both for proximity and for a little more space. And maybe for a little more quiet, although we are undecided on whether that's something we really want. (FWIW, our kids would rather stay where we are. I am also leaning toward staying, but I feel like moving is something I think we should at least consider.)

If you've made such a move, can you share a bit of your experience? If you were used to walking everywhere--Metro, grocery store, restaurants--did you miss it? What about the sense of community you get from a densely packed neighborhood? Favorite/least favorite parts of the new neighborhood?

Not personally, but we live in Shepherd Park, and know a few neighbors who've moved here from the Hill. Also my good friend sold her place on the Hill and moved nearby, in zip 20011.

Pros:
Schools: zoned for Deal/Wilson; even if doing charter now, you may need middle/high schools later. Also considering resale.
Safety: very safe area--people jog/walk, walk their dogs, and kids run around the neighborhood in good weather.
Green space: adjacent to Rock Creek Park, and there are other pockets of green space in the neighborhood.
Community: Friendly, diverse, neighborhood, lots of civic engagement. Many neighbors are older--empty nesters to very elderly (not really a pro, just different from the Hill).

Cons:
walkability: not very walkable at all. Only a small portion of the neighborhood is walkable to downtown Silver Spring. Walter Reed redevelopment is coming, but years away.
Commute: a lot further from downtown so longer commute. It may feel remote for those used to more hustle and bustle.
density: 95% of homes are SFH and it's a small area, so it can feel very, very quiet (could be a positive or negative)

[Anonymous]

If I had school locked down, I'd look at 16th Street Heights and Petworth too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our family lives on the Hill. We love just about everything about it: the community, the walkability, the energy, Halloween. But both our kids are now in a charter school in NW (but east of Rock Creek Park). They'll be there until they finish high school, so we have at least 10 years of doing that commute. We are starting to consider moving to a neighborhood somewhere up there, both for proximity and for a little more space. And maybe for a little more quiet, although we are undecided on whether that's something we really want. (FWIW, our kids would rather stay where we are. I am also leaning toward staying, but I feel like moving is something I think we should at least consider.)

If you've made such a move, can you share a bit of your experience? If you were used to walking everywhere--Metro, grocery store, restaurants--did you miss it? What about the sense of community you get from a densely packed neighborhood? Favorite/least favorite parts of the new neighborhood?

One thing to consider is that soon enough, your kids will be able to get themselves back and forth to school. So don't move on account of that.


Neighborhoods north of Petworth are basically the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I had school locked down, I'd look at 16th Street Heights and Petworth too.

Yeah, we looked at this one yesterday, along with 1/2 of the city. It may be a money pit but I loved it. https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/1408-Kennedy-St-NW-20011/home/10017677

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our family lives on the Hill. We love just about everything about it: the community, the walkability, the energy, Halloween. But both our kids are now in a charter school in NW (but east of Rock Creek Park). They'll be there until they finish high school, so we have at least 10 years of doing that commute. We are starting to consider moving to a neighborhood somewhere up there, both for proximity and for a little more space. And maybe for a little more quiet, although we are undecided on whether that's something we really want. (FWIW, our kids would rather stay where we are. I am also leaning toward staying, but I feel like moving is something I think we should at least consider.)

If you've made such a move, can you share a bit of your experience? If you were used to walking everywhere--Metro, grocery store, restaurants--did you miss it? What about the sense of community you get from a densely packed neighborhood? Favorite/least favorite parts of the new neighborhood?

One thing to consider is that soon enough, your kids will be able to get themselves back and forth to school. So don't move on account of that.


Neighborhoods north of Petworth are basically the suburbs.

They already do get themselves back and forth. It isn't really all that inconvenient, either--it's just that we've lived on the Hill forever and I wonder if it might be nice to live elsewhere for a while. But unless we moved to right be the school, the commute for them wouldn't be much easier, since we are right by a Metro station now.

[Anonymous]

Unless you need more room or you need to be in bounds for Deal and Wilson, I don't think you should move off the Hill. It's very hard to make up for all the conveniences of living there.

[Anonymous]

If you're in it for the long haul, getting more space now to enjoy and enough for the grandkids later on, might make sense. My sister is wishing she'd traded up when they could because now her kids are having babies and they have no room to host, looking for a hotel to get the family together!

[Anonymous]

We live in a similar place to 11:43, although closer to Takoma, so you can walk to some good restaurants, also metro. Our neighborhood is very friendly - we used to live in a condo building with six other units and didn't know any of them - now we know most of our neighbors and my daughter has tons of babysitting clients in the surrounding streets. I personally miss being somewhere a little more urban, but my husband who WFH loves it, and my teenagers like having more space in a house - they lived in apartments/condos all their lives up to this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I had school locked down, I'd look at 16th Street Heights and Petworth too.

Yeah, we looked at this one yesterday, along with 1/2 of the city. It may be a money pit but I loved it. https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/1408-Kennedy-St-NW-20011/home/10017677

Not bad at all price wise and for what you get.